The Refuge
The Refuge The sun hung in the skies, showing the trails of dust and debris from the collapse of the towers surrounding Eternity. Eternity was still young, and seeing it’s earliest towers collapsing was a depressing sight. Shikon saw this from the distance, as the Geist attacked the young city. For weeks the supplies had been destroyed in transit from southern badlands and the Crescent Peaks. The weakened city couldn’t hold off an attack from the Dark Ones. Shikon cursed the Osiris, their continual battles up north had forced the Geist south. They had left nothing but destruction in their wake. The Osiris, a group formed of former Kings Army troops from Morganvale, whom overthrew their king in a Coup D’etat, had been war-mongers ever since. The Osiris were constantly engaging new nations or peoples, yet continuing to fight with the Ribati, another group that was involved in the Coup. Now, the Osiris ventured south to eliminate the Geists, a group of Dark magic users from the far north. The city of Eternity was a child of men who were sick of fighting wars based on differences. In theory, it was designed as the perfect city. Men, Women, and children of all nationalities, cultures, magical Arcana, which was the driving force of life itself, and differences could come to this city to live in peace. The project was quickly backed by many revolutionaries from around not only the continent, but the Floating Island kingdoms and Moon-born flatlands. The international garnering of attention was not all positive. Many nations saw this as a threat to their power. More than a few people also saw the acceptance of the Geists as people as an insult to humanity. The supply routes had been altered and changed, the location of Eternity had shifted several times. This was until around twenty years previous, when a general from a distant continent landed on the shores and claimed himself the defender of Eternity. Leading 50,000 troops from a naval foothold, the city was established twenty-eight kilometers inland. The birth of the City of Eternity helped and hindered many powers throughout the globe. Eternity’s location also held more secrets. Arcana was found to be more effective if implemented in materials or peoples from the area. Eternity single-handedly revolutionised how the world worked less than five years after it’s creation. Arcana powered everything from communications and weapons, to the moon-lifts and change of the moons to habitable environments. The people of Eternity had built themselves an army of one hundred thousand in only a decade. A tower, built to harness unused Arcana in the air was planned. General Daire Sunjay, the fifth grandson of the original protector of Eternity declared that the tower be called the Ivory Tower, after his own daughter, Ivory. Though neither he nor Ivory would live to see the tower completed, it was the most ambitious project ever to be attempted on the continent. General Daire was murdered shortly after he formed what would become known as the Army Eternity, a small elite fighting force. Ivory, disappearing shortly after her father’s death, was pronounced dead. One year before the Osiris declared war on the Geists, a Coup D’etat was thrown against the King of Morganvale. After winning this revolution, a man by the name of Ruisu declared anyone not of Morganvale an anti-revolutionary, and ordered them executed on sight. A counter-action group, led by Roy Asutin declared that they would not help a group of radicals trade one tyrant for another. The Osiris and the newly formed “Ribati” went to war. This war left Morganvale, once a peaceful and happy city, a jungle of ruins and bodies. With supporters joining each side every day, this conflict had become known as the Forever War. Roy and Ruisu seemed to take this term to heart, as they continue to fight until neither side can hold their blades any longer. Many speculated both sides used advanced indoctrination techniques to garner so much support. The Osiris, a larger group from the outset, decided to attack any “anti-revolutionaries” around the Northern hemisphere of the continent. The Geist were the first to be lead to a slaughter. Though Geists hated humans, and were rumored to be possessed by demons, they were peaceful and had never taken place in war. The original Geists were slaughtered by the hundreds, and eventually forced from the North by the Osiris. The Geists were fighting a battle beforehand, though. Something happened in the North that killed off fifty-six percent of the Osiris. The survivors reported that mass graves had been dug. Many of those who died had claimed to “See things” over lakes and vast expanses, many of them were found dead with expressions of fear frozen on their faces. The Osiris continued the hunt unrelentingly, eventually chasing the Geists south towards Eternity. An Eternian who had been travelling north found a Geist and asked him what all the fuss to the North was about, as information was only at a trickle. The response is now known as the “First indicator.” “The Fools know not what they have unleashed upon this world!” This statement would later be used to explain what the Osiris were dying from, and why the landscape surrounding the Geists’ former home was warped. The Osiris had released an ancient dark magic, and the entire continent was left to it’s peril. Fortunately, the Ivory Tower’s little sister, the Platinum Crown, halted its advance for the time being. Geists fled to Eternity. Eternity, having a sudden influx of new citizens, eventually had to start turning Geists away. Many of them were angered by being turned away, others felt they were left to be slaughtered at Eternity’s gate. Tensions between the city and the Geists escalated until just one day ago. The Geists attacked the outlying towers of Eternity using an Arcana not seen to the world before. The city gave an expansion proposal the next day, and Eternity’s Dark Crisis was solved. Then there was news of Osiris moving south, following the Geists’ trail. Osiris had officially angered Eternity. Since the Coup, many had been calling for a stop to the Osiris. Now they had their answer. A unanimous vote put the Osiris on Eternity's kill list, and teams were mobilized immediately. The official news to the public was that the Osiris were threatening Eternity’s survival and way of life. Support was garnered by stating the Osiris currently marching towards Eternity were out to conquer it. A cry rang through the town, calling for the best military leaders to rally. A vote was held, and out of twenty-one military men, a certain on known only as Shikon was chosen. Shikon commanded Army Eternity, and had been friends with the late General Daire Sunjay. News came moments later. A small merchant caravan had been attacked by the Osiris, and It was announced that the Osiris were to be stopped. It was Shikon’s duty to stop them. Giving the signal to move, four-hundred and fifty men appeared at his back. Weapons were drawn, strings were to arrows, and horses were ready. Shikon saw the Osiris, a group of five hundred on the road to the south. He gave the forward signal, but remained at a calm walk. His troops followed. He gave the stop order forty meters from the enemy. Well within archer and marksman’s range. He continued to the enemy captain and his guard alone. The man was cocky and short, his guard was no more than a regular knight, with no extra-special markings denoting why he was in such a position. Shikon could have laughed, he’d heard the Osiris was sending green soldiers, but he hadn’t imagined they’d attempt to attack the largest southern city to date with such a force. The commanding officer was new to the position as well, his badge still held a glint, one that had not seen combat. Shikon almost felt that a massacre would be a terrible thing to do, especially to these soldiers who looked as though a single shot might freeze them solid. He reached the officer. “Alright, Eternian, I’ll give you a chance and let you surrender without incident.” The commander said, sliding a cigar out of his pocket. “Osiris dog, I feel you do not understand what force you face,” Shikon replied, “This is the Army Eternity. You may not know it, but many of these men are battle-hardened veterans, and have survived a baptism by fire to be here.” “I’m not a man of second chances, but I’ll offer you one now.” The officer said as though the situation was a casual conversation over a cup of Rum. Shikon could no longer hold himself back, he laughed. It was a loud laugh that resonated throughout the armies of both sides. “What are you laughin’ at?” The officer looked more shocked than angry. Shikon turned to face his troops, “What do you all think of this little jest?” A smile burned on his face, and he knew it. His troops unleashed a loud, anger-filled shout. Shikon knew that determination, if it came down to it, would win the battle. Shikon spun to face the officer, who looked as though he had thoroughly emptied his bowels and his will to fight along with them. The officer ordered his guard, who happened to be shaking himself, to kill the man standing before them. The guard raised his bladed musket, and Shikon but two bullets through his abdomen. The guard’s weapon began to fall, and Shikon with his free hand directed the bladed end into the officer’s stomach. Both fell with agonized noises. The guard was most certainly dead before he hit the ground, and the officer landed with a muffled yelp. Shikon spun and began to walk at a calm pace, raising his left wrist. The next in command could be heard calling for the troops to ready their weapons. A shuffle of movement. “Aim” Another shuffle filled with metallic clicks sounded. Shikon flicked his wrist. “F-” The soldier’s call was cut short by a five hundred rifle retorts. Bullets cut through the Osiris like butter, separating the marching rank into dead and wounded. One brave soldier fired at Shikon, who had turned to see the Osiris gunned down. The bullet fluttered through the air and stopped, floating in front of Shikon’s face. A pink glow surrounded it and the round dropped harmlessly to the grass. A half smile creeped in from the edges of his face. “The Arcana of Will, isn’t it great?!” Shikon called. “Will?!” was the reply. Shikon motioned for his troops to charge. The thundering of five hundred hooves charging the tattered Osiris was music to his ears. The charge was parting around the officer, who was apparently still alive. Shikon walked with his troops until he reached the officer. A smile sat on his face, which was the first thing that to throw Shikon off guard. “What is it that makes you smile?” Shikon was generally interested. Never had he stabbed a man, only to have him lying on the ground smiling. He crouched on his toes leaning in. “Did you...honestly think that Shiraga would only send five hundred of us?” A little cackle emerged from the man, and Shikon realised his mistake. “Say, how close are you to dying?” Shikon said, now very angry at what was about to happen. He strolled off without waiting for a reply. Fifteen of his men rode towards him. Only fifteen, that would mean about one thousand more troops sat behind the crest of the hill. “Situation?” “Really bad, sir.” “How bad is really bad, Cav?” “Two-thousand, sir” The situation was, in fact, very bad. Shikon saw that Cav was wounded and took his horse. He ordered those who could still fight to charge with him. The assault landed in the midst of the enemy troops. For forty-five minutes Shikon fought, but eventually a bullet found it’s way into his abdomen. He lost consciousness and his horse fled as it saw fit, with him still on it. * * * Shikon woke up to snow, cold, and an agonizing pain in his stomach. The horse had carried him kilometers west, right into the Crescent Depression. The horse itself had either passed out or died from exhaustion. It didn’t matter to Shikon, all he knew was he was stranded in a cold climate, and that his companions faced impossible odds. He was alone. Left alone to die in an area where he’d likely never be found. He looked to the horse. He got to his feet and stumbled to the beast. It was dead, and it’s meats likely spoiled. The skin however looked fine. Shikon drew his knife from his belt and skinned the creature. With a new supply of rough hide, he made a tourniquet for his stomach. This helped stop the bleeding that had been going on for too long, in Shikon’s eyes. Surveying the area, Shikon found a cave. It was half a kilometer away, easy if he hadn’t been wounded. He stumbled through ankle-high snow, slipping several times before reaching the cave. Shikon surveyed the cave, finding an underground realm sheltered from cold behind him. This was the fabled Crescent Grove, the only hospitable place for kilometers to either side of the mountain. Running water rushed to a pool at the far end of the cavern, and wildlife danced around in tall grass. Light shone through a large crack in the rock, and from the entrance itself. Shikon couldn’t believe his luck. It was now the wound in his stomach gave him a horrible pain, reminding him that he needed to hunt so that he could eat. He remembered he had only brought one handgun reload with him. Two shots, not much but it could do. He could find two bucks and shoot them, then he could make jerky. Shikon was beginning to hope he might survive. The first buck was easy enough, shot unsuspectingly from the side. Shikon, however, knew he may never be able to survive. His wound had reopened from the recoil of his pistol, and was now bleeding profusely, in addition to sending him to his knees in agony. Thinking quickly, Shikon sewed the wound closed with a loose thread on his uniform. He skinned the buck and quickly hung the meat in a place that the sun shone, on a rocky overhang. He went around collecting sticks from the small trees that resided in the Grove. He used a rock in conjuncture with his knife to light a small fire to speed up the process of drying the meat. Realising how tired he was Shikon lay down next to the fire, yet not close enough to become engulfed in flames. It was the most peaceful sleep Shikon had had in days. Shikon dreamed of sending a recon team to survey the situation beforehand. He wouldn’t have been in the situation he was in now. The situation he was in now, which could ultimately lead to his untimely death. This thought woke him, and the happy victory just moments before vanished, reality returned. Shikon stood up, took a strip of jerky and went to the pool for water. A thought crossed his mind, one that called into question who was truly more arrogant, the officer or himself? Shikon pondered this, drinking from the pool. Deciding he was hungry, Shikon fashioned a small spear out of a large branch and his blade. He wondered how effective he would be, considering that the spear had no Arcana to guide it or help it’s strike. He longed for a rifle, but knew that the Arcana in that would drain faster than his own stamina. Rifles used Arcana to transmute air into something known as a Brillet. Brillets, like the bullets fired from Shikon’s pistols, had a large range and vast stopping power. What they lacked was an exit wound. The Arcana keeping each Brillet together would dissipate on impact, and the target would only suffer an entry wound. To compensate for this, more powerful enchantments were added to the rifles. These used more Arcana per round, and had a maximum of twenty brillets before the weapon would cease to function. Blades and arrows kept their enchantments even after impact, making them more desirable. Shikon felt a twinge of loss at the thought of the weapons his men used. His men, who probably lay dead in a field or captured by his brash actions. This thought drew blood to Shikon’s face, and he began to wish he’d never accepted the responsibility of keeping his troops alive and his city safe. A rustle drew Shikon’s attention. A jack-rabbit stood in the bushes not far from him. It’s eyes gleamed quizzically. It ran. Shikon gave chase. The he chased the rabbit for several minutes around the sixty-five meter clearing in the center of the cavern. Finally getting a good angle on the little beast, Shikon hurled the spear. It impacted the ground centimeters away from the rabbit’s foot. Cursing, Shikon grabbed it up from the ground and resumed his chase. The creature led him beyond the entrance of the cave, and he gave chase for half a kilometer. Finally killing the rabbit, Shikon attempted to retrieve it’s meat. His knife was dull from its abundant use previously, and Shikon had to sharpen it on a rock. The blade in a more suitable condition, Shikon retrieved it’s meat and cooked it using some dry branches. Shikon finished his meal and sat, enjoying the outdoor air and clutching his wound. Shikon began to make his way towards the cave, when a wolf’s howl emerged from it’s depths. Shikon readied his spear once again. Reaching the entrance, he was acutely aware of being surrounded by several wolves. One emerged from the direction of his camp with a blood-stained mouth. Dangling from it’s jaws was a rabbit’s leg. One of the wolves gave a sharp bark, and they all assaulted Shikon at once. Shikon was able to dodge, but not strike at the beasts. He was aware that much more activity may reopen his wound.He remembered his instructor's lesson. Shikon was taught how to use Will offensively, and that is what he did. Using his spear as a sword, Shikon manipulated it into the wolves, killing each in turn until their attacks stopped. The remaining wolves retreated, and Shikon was tired. Shikon made the trek back to his camp and fell asleep almost immediately. Shikon would not know the horror that lay in the pool next to him until the next morning. Shikon woke up and realised how hungry the previous days’ events had made him. He realized that the jerky had been eaten by the wolves, and the rabbit meat wasn’t sustinance enough. He then noticed a horrid smell coming from the pool. looking into it, he gasped with horror. Floating in the water was a dead rabbit. It polluted the water, making the pool unsafe. The waterfall was a mere trickle. Shikon Thought on what resources were available to him, and came to the conclusion that he could make a sack with the rest of the leather he’d taken from the deer. It became a question of whether he would hurt himself again, and bleed to death without a tourniquet. He decided to risk a possible mortal wound and make a water pouch. Using more loose string from his clothing Shikon sewed together the water pouch and set it in an area where water was already dripping. He turned and froze. Standing there was the Deer. It looked at him with a faint curiosity, then went galloping away. Shikon ran and grabbed his pistol, chasing the deer down. The chase lasted several minutes. The deer ran itself into the corner and had nowhere else to go. Shikon could almost taste it’s meats, and forgot an important rule of hunting: A cornered animal will fight to the death. The Deer charged. Shikon shot it with his pistol, but the creature’s momentum carried it into him. He was knocked back against a tree, reopening and intensifying his wound. Stumbling around, shikon knew he was going to die. The world had become clearer, darker. His body began to go numb as his wound bled furiously. He fell to the ground in shock. His vision was fading, and he had only one thought on his mind. That his arrogance had caused his men to die. “It’s my fault.” He muttered. Shikon’s eyes were becoming heavy, and he was getting tired. He thought of all of the people he’d never see again. The city he’d set out to defend. Shikon felt that he would never be found, he would never see his beloved city again. His eyes demanded closure. He allowed them to close, taking in his last seconds on earth. The trickle of the water flowing throughout the cave walls was his last knowledge of the events of earth. A single tear fell from Shikon’s lost eyes. Shikon, great leader of the Army Eternity, lay dead on the floor of a cave where none shall ever find him. * * * Rosuto dove through a cave entrance with his five comrades. The children moved to secure the cave, whilst two stood guard at the entrance. There had been rumors that Perish members were hiding out near the Crescent Peaks, most seemed to correlate that the exact location was a cave called The Refuge, or in older times, Crescent Grove. Rosuto cared not for history, as he was on a mission and he didn’t need any unnecessary information flowing through his head. He cleared various corners of the cave and eventually came to a long-dried waterfall. A rabbit’s skeleton lay in the center of what had once been a pool. Upon closer inspection, a destroyed leather pouch was found in under one of the rocks. It was too old to be a Perish member’s. A member of the team called for him and Rosuto quickly moved to his location. In front of them, a skeleton of a man lay face-down in the dirt, a deer’s skeleton was very close by. Rosuto noticed that the uniform was of the Army Eternity, a group of five hundred soldiers that had killed two-thousand and five hundred enemy forces whom sought Eternities’ place as it’s own. Rosuto thought upon the old legend, and remembered that the leader of the group, Shikon Feron, had been wounded and mysteriously disappeared. Many of them swore a horse was carrying him to the Crescent Peaks, and they had never found him, dead or alive. “Squad, form up!”All five members assembled, looking upon the discovery. Rosuto bent down and placed his hand on the skull. “You stand before a legend, one who was lost long ago,” Rosuto smiled,” we are going to take him home.” The body of Shikon Feron was laid to rest in Eternal Soul Cemetery the following day, and the three surviving members of the Army Eternity paid their respects. Cav was among them, and remembered his last communication with his leader, how he’d taken his horse and rode off to battle, never to see what the city would become because of his actions. He theorized that Shikon would have thought he’d never be found, and never see his friends again. He had been wrong, and this made the survivors all the happier. “Rest in Peace, friend.” Cav finished. Category:History